Last May 20, we brought together HCP Portfolio Company founders for the 2026 Harlem Capital Founder Summit, a day centered on honest conversations about leadership, conviction, execution, and what it really takes to build enduring companies.
The sessions covered everything from leveraging AI and navigating founder psychology to customer obsession and building through uncertainty. A few moments that stayed with us:
💬 “A goal should be unattainable or else it’s just a forecast.”
💬 “Courage is a muscle.”
💬 “Founders have to get really good at understanding people’s motivations.”
From tactical discussions to founder-led breakout sessions and fireside conversations with Toni Oloko, Chloe Ho, and Tade Oyerinde, the day was a reminder that building great companies requires clarity, resilience, and the willingness to push past possible.
We closed out the summit at Live Axe NYC with axe throwing, good conversations, and some friendly competition between founders and the HCP team.
Inside Espa AI: How Deon Nicholas Raised $115M to Build AI
Deon Nicholas joins the podcast to discuss the next wave of agentic AI, the future of personal productivity, and why he believes AI will unlock a new consumer renaissance. He also shares lessons from scaling Forethought and what it takes to build conviction, talent, and personal brand as a technical founder.
Inside Replit: From Coding Tool to $9B AI Platform
Aman Mathur joins us to unpack how AI is changing the way software gets built, from idea to deployment. The conversation explores AI agents, the future of product creation, and why the barrier to becoming a builder is dropping faster than ever.
We’re excited to welcome Espa to the Harlem Capital portfolio. Founded by Deon Nicholas, Espa is an AI assistant built to actually close the loop, helping individuals manage scheduling, inboxes, follow-ups, and the work that quietly fills every day.
Deon previously co-founded Forethought, scaling the company to more than $100M raised and over 1 billion monthly interactions. With Espa, he’s building toward a future where exceptional executive support is no longer limited to a few. We’re proud to back Deon and the Espa team as they build what’s next.
Try Espa today at https://www.espa.ai
Congratulations to HCP portfolio company Kipsi on bringing another Top 50 CPA firm, BPM, onto its AI-powered platform. Together, they’re helping modernize the R&D tax credit process with faster workflows, smarter documentation, and more defensible claims.
Kipsi’s platform streamlines everything from data collection to qualified expense analysis, giving teams a more efficient way to manage one of the most valuable incentives in the tax code.
Trustible CEO & Co-Founder Gerald Kierce will join the upcoming Responsible AI Summit North America alongside Leidos to discuss what enterprise AI governance looks like at scale. The session will cover operational oversight, agentic AI, and how organizations can scale AI responsibly as adoption accelerates.
HCP Partner Brandon Bryant joined Blackness Unbound, the Stanford Black Leadership Conference, on May 16 for a conversation unpacking what really happens inside venture capital, from how investors evaluate founders to what drives funding decisions in today’s market.
The session explored emerging trends across venture and how builders can better position themselves to stand out, raise capital, and navigate an increasingly competitive ecosystem.
What gives companies a lasting edge in crowded markets.
How AI is changing who gets to build.
Global fellowship helping diverse talent break into venture capital.
VC accelerator program supporting women and minorities entering venture.
Fellowship focused on Tough Tech and frontier technology investing.
How AI startups are redefining revenue metrics and investor expectations.
The startups shaping the next wave of AI infrastructure and applications.
📉 The AI Funding Concentration Problem
Why fewer AI companies are capturing most venture dollars.
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